Instrumental Hit Record

Randy Holden was a teenager when he formed a rock and blues band in Pennsylvania called The Iridescents. The core of that band moved to California to follow the wave of emerging Surf instrumental bands and formed The Fender IV. The band recorded several songs that have since played an important...

Paul Johnson formed one of the early surf bands in Southern California during the golden era of instrumental music. As a guitarist and songwriter, Paul performed and recorded in the days before the Beach Boys, when it was common for an instrumental recording to be on the Top Ten lists. Over the...

Bruce Johnston has been a member of the Beach Boys since the mid-1960s, first singing with the group on the hit "California Girls." He appeared on most of the groups albums, including the seminal Pet Sounds and toured with the group for decades. Bruce is also a songwriter who penned "I Write the...

Booker T. Jones grew up in Memphis and began recording as a session player while still in high school at the age of 17. While waiting for a session to begin, Booker and the other musicians in the studio began playing a song Booker wrote, which was later given a name when the engineer encouraged...

Dave Koz is best known as the smooth jazz saxophonist who recorded hit albums beginning in the 1990s. However, his life in music began as a piano student before playing in the high school jazz band in southern California. After attending UCLA, Dave became a studio session player, which led to...

Art Laboe admired radio broadcasters from the first moment he heard voices coming out of a box his aunt had sent to Art's family when he was eight. He went on to have a successful and innovative broadcasting career that not only included pioneering DJ programming and remote request programs but...

Ramsey Lewis has a monster hit record with his jazz version of "The In Crowd." The song, which is considered to be the quintessential instrumental jazz hit of the 60s, led to a series of other recordings including sessions with Earth, Wind & Fire. Ramsey began playing organ and piano in church...

Bob Moore’s bass can be heard on countless recordings made in Nashville during the 1950s through the 1980s. As a member of studio musicians known as the A Team, Bob played on recordings with everyone from Patsy Cline to Elvis Presley. In the 1960s he had a string of hits with his own band...

Joe Morello’s influential drumming style was showcased on the landmark Dave Brubeck recording of “Take Five.” Ever since, he has inspired generations of performers. Joe became an icon in the music product’s industry through his long associations with manufacturers as an endorsee, music retailers as...

Charlie Musselwhite recalls the day Muddy Waters called him on stage to jam with the legendary bluesman in a small Chicago blues club. It was the beginning of a long and impassioned career in music making. During his NAMM interview Charlie also spoke of his friendship with Howlin’ Wolf and Little...